Conceived for its beauty, Hoover Dam bridge could pose suicide danger

Without barriers, new span might beckon those wanting to end their lives

The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge has no suicide prevention measures in place, such as a built-in fence or netting stretching below. Officials say security measures are in place, such as patrols by Hoover Dam police, who are trained in recognizing and preventing potential suicides.

The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, the second highest in the nation, is breathtaking.

But some experts fear it is also potentially life-taking.

Nevada consistently has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation. In 2007, the most recent year that data are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Silver State had the fifth-highest rate, with 471 deaths.

The bridge, which opened Oct. 19, stretches above the Colorado River and offers a spectacular view of Hoover Dam. It was conceived for beauty. It wasn’t designed with suicide prevention uppermost in mind.

“There was a lot of deliberation on that,” said Dave Zanetell, the bridge’s project manager from the Federal Highway Administration. “If you put a cage here, then people can go around the cage, and you’ve had an impact on the visual and historic context, so it’s kind of a delicate balance to try and find the answer.”

Alan “Lanny” Berman doesn’t buy the idea that bridge builders have to make a choice between a nice view and preventing suicide. He’s the executive director of the American Association of Suicidology.

“I’ve heard that argument for 30 years, and it makes no sense, because you can still create an aesthetically pleasing bridge,” he said. “You could have a netting underneath, I’ve seen a couple designs of that that are quite attractive; you can create a fence that is not unattractive, that people can still see through.”

While most self-inflicted deaths are caused by firearms, the ease of getting to and leaping off the bypass bridge makes deaths there inevitable, Berman said, and the bridge builder is “saying that aesthetics are more important than human life.”

Bridge officials were hesitant to talk about the issue and declined to discuss details of security plans for the structure, except to say there is a security force trained to observe pedestrians’ behavior.

Still, for some the temptation may prove irresistible.

The bridge is the only major span in the region, and all one needs to do is consider San Francisco’s famed Golden Gate Bridge to recognize the legitimacy of the suicide concern.

“Our dilemma in the Bay Area is that we’re the only bridge with sidewalks that are open to the public and therefore we experience this horrific phenomenon,” said Mary Currie, a bridge historian and spokeswoman for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

As many as 7,000 people visit the Golden Gate on any given day, Currie said. The first suicide came within a year of opening. After an estimated 1,300 deaths in 73 years, bridge officials have finally approved a plan to build a suicide barrier.

“People are fascinated by structures like the Golden Gate Bridge and I think the Hoover Dam bridge is equally interesting in many ways,” Currie said.

The planned suicide barrier will be a metal net hanging 20 feet below the sidewalk, designed to catch anyone who jumps and hopefully deter people from trying, without blocking the view of motorists and pedestrians.

“The idea was to come up with a solution that would not alter the visual and aesthetic qualities of the bridge to the extent that a large barrier on top of the railing would have,” Currie said. “The net was a good compromise to come up with a good deterrent without obstructing the views.”

The net is in the final design stage, but “our main snag there is we need another $45 million in funding to build it,” she said.

The Golden Gate Bridge District has said it will not pay for the net with toll revenue, so the money must come from the federal or state government or private donations.

In the meantime, Currie said, 70 percent of jump attempts are thwarted through patrols, cameras, suicide hotline phones and help from the public.

Like the Golden Gate over San Francisco Bay, the natural beauty of the Colorado River going through Black Canyon along with the man-made wonder of the Hoover Dam is likely to draw many people to the 1,900-foot-long bridge. It’s impossible to know how many visitors to expect, but if it’s any indication, officials have occasionally had to shut down the bridge’s parking lot because of overcrowding.

“People tend to go to certain places, and a new bridge that is way off the water or the ground below it is going to be an invitation, particularly if one can access that bridge on foot,” Berman said.

The project was a group effort under the direction of the Federal Highway Administration along with the Arizona and Nevada Transportation departments; the Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the Hoover Dam; and the National Park Service, which runs the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

All the agencies will remain involved in maintaining and securing the bridge, officials said, with the Nevada Highway Patrol and the Arizona Department of Public Safety patrolling the roadway, and rangers from the park service also patrolling the area.

The Hoover Dam also has its own police force, and because the parking lot and interpretive plazas that lead to the bridge’s sidewalk are in the dam’s security zone, those officers will be involved in watching the bridge’s pedestrians.

“Our police force is actually on site and would probably be first responders” to any incident, said Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman Colleen Dwyer.

And because the dam itself is a known suicide destination — 35 have died, mostly suicides but some accidental, since 1962 — the dam’s police force is “extremely well trained” in recognizing and preventing potential suicides, Dwyer said.

Dwyer also said a lot of “security infrastructure” is in place to monitor the area, but said she could not elaborate for security reasons.

Berman said such efforts might not be enough.

“To be effective, you design the bridge in such a way that you put a barrier on it that makes it impossible to jump,” he said.

In the 1980s, a suicide barrier was put on the Duke Ellington Bridge, the most popular jumping place in Washington, D.C., Berman said.

In the next seven years there were no suicides on the bridge, and a similar bridge only 100 yards away — “equally as lethal if you jump from it” — did not have a major increase in suicides. The citywide suicide rate did not go up, he said.

“Somebody can be ingenious enough probably to get over anything, but there is a lot of data worldwide that if you thwart the ability to get off that bridge ... you simply are going to save lives,” Berman said.

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I'm with jerhig. Does the state/government have to save us from everything? I think the answer is no. Someone who wants to jump off this bridge, and is thwarted, will find another to leap from. It shouldn't be our duty or expense to find ways to make them stop attempting suicide.

For crying out loud! If a person is intent on committing suicide, they will find a way. We cannot and should not attempt to "suicide-proof" every potential avenue a despondent person might consider. The so-called "experts" should divert their attention to more worthy considerations than this trivial one.

My first, and most long lasting, impression upon seeing this bridge is how magnificent it is. And the fact that it took just about nine years to complete. A state of the art, twenty-first century engineering marvel.

Not a platform to commit suicide from.

Most people probably agree with me that if you build something high, this may be a lure for those who want to duke themselves out. If we carry that way of thinking too far, we'll end up building stuff that is only one story high from now on...in fear that people want to commit suicide.

I really, really feel sorry for those that want to take their own lives by jumping off this new bridge, but I think the effectiveness of knocking off just about 45 minutes to one hour off of my driving time to Phoenix basically overshadows the priorities of those who exhibit self-destructiveness.

This may sound heartless, but I could care less about nets, fences, trampoulines and/or diving boards available for pedestrians on this new bridge.

The simple matter of this is that we have exploded into the new age with a magnificent piece of architecture. No one can control the very small portion of society that wishes to take their lives.

Anyways, those people can be prevented from doing this, on the most part, by other methods. Before they get the urge after seeing this new bridge. Prevention happens a lot more than the actual act itself.

Sounds heartless, but sometimes you have to grab people and drag them kicking and screaming into use and enjoyment of America's newest technology to fix and upgrade our crumbling infra-structures.

I think it would be very disturbing if I were to drive over the bridge and see someone hurling themselves over the side. That would affect me forever. I don't want to see splattered people anytime anywhere. I would hate to be the person that had to go and pick up their splattered remains.

Actually, they did consider suicides from this bridge and built a barrier accordingly. Look closer.As for cost, the government takes into consideration what a life costs versus the cost of a project. Last year a life was worth $6.7 million. I'm sure many will disagree with that and say some are worth less - oh wait you did when you say a few suicide don't matter in the scheme of things, didn't you?So how many would it take to make a difference? How many would have to die by suicide to change your mind? Are you wiling to sacrifice anyone you know or love? I have never heard that answered?

Because mental illness affects 1 in 4 Americans and when the illness turns to crisis, suicide can occur.Just like a diabetic coma or a heart attack from coronary artery disease.

~So why spend ANY money on suicide prevention? Why learn CPR? Why spend any money on research for medication or vaccines? Survival of the fittest is what you espouse? Why make braille books? Why use sound at crosswalks? Means prevention is no different.

~A society is judged by how they care for those who cannot care for themselves. Other countries manage to do it and quite beautifully. Look at the Golden Ears bridge in british columbia.A barrier does not need to detract from the beauty of a bridge and if the architects are any good, they could incorporate barriers into the design very nicely.

"In the next seven years there were no suicides on the bridge, and a similar bridge only 100 yards away -- "equally as lethal if you jump from it" -- did not have a major increase in suicides. ***The citywide suicide rate did not go up, he said.***"

Isn't this a fallacy? It didn't go down either apparently, so people were killing themselves in other ways. They were probably shooting themselves or stepping in front if trains, which is quite popular around here and unpreventable.

Why no 'suicide prevention' on the Hoover Dam? I've thought about that before every time I've looked over that sloping mass of concrete, but you'd have a hell of a lot of skin removed before you reached the bottom. That would HURT!Why is it up to 'us' to prevent what someone 'if they really want to do it' will do anyway? All of the cable and fences, and wires on top of the Stratosphere! The Cosmoplitan better lock all of their balcony area then and make them 'off limits' since people MIGHT JUMP? I witnessed a suicide in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, where some distraught 19 year old male, jumped from the 40th floor of the hotel near me as I was crossing the street. He landed on top of a van and killed the driver inside(flattened the roof). What a tragedy. You not ONLY kill yourself, you take out an innocent motorist, or pedestrian-how more selfish can you get?! Since I was there I had this phobia of people landing on top of me, from above for awhile. Weird!

if people want to jump we should let them. Perhaps even give them a plank to stand on so that they have a good view before they go over the edge. This protecting people from themselves is a loosing battle.

I think Mr. Berman needs to find a real job instead of worrying about others. I was on the bridge three weeks ago and the barrier is about 4 feet high. The barrier on Hoover dam is about 3 feet high (where there have been 35 suicides). Why not add something on the dam?There are 1 or 2 suicides in the 4 to 5 deaths in the Grand Canyon every year- need a net there too!

Wait a minute- I bet more people die driving to/from these places than have ever died committing suicide We should just close all these sites to visitors because it's just not worth the risk.

About ten years ago, I saw a man jump from the side of a freeway into the path of a truck and kill himself. How could that have been prevented? I believe the only effective action would have been personal counseling, therapy, etc. by/for the individual.

The government/authorities could not, can not and should not begin to presume that it/they need to lock us all up/down/out to protect a relative few. It/they could make it easier to identify and help those relative few.

Government/authorities are part of society and it is society's responsibility to care for and protect it's members, not unnecessarily control/restrict them.

Maybe some spikes on the top of the existing fence to discourage climbers, but we can't completely "safe" this bridge or any other. The stupid & suicidal will always find a way around any barriers that go up or they'll simply go somewhere else.

The Golden Gate bridge has maintained a steady track record in this category and the Government has tried many ways to prevent it, and I'm glad they did. The Golden Gate is a work of art, not a Colosseum.

It is sad when someone feels it's necessary to end their own life. Having said that I'm not terribly concerned about the lack/removal/installation of a Safety Net at this beautiful bridge. Now should those wall street banksters attempt to get their hands on my payroll tax contributions or the deficit hawks attempt to take away my Medicare that's a different story. They attempt to take away that Safety Net and I am going to be sharpening my pitchfork.

I think it's a shame that we're becoming such a nanny state that a stunning piece of architecture might be uglified, at huge taxpayer expense, to protect one or more idiots who want to jump. As someone else pointed out, the barriers at the Hoover Dam are incredibly low, but they seem to be fine. People are responsible for their own actions, and if someone wants to jump, that's their choice.

I'd take anything Mr. Berman has to say with a grain of salt. He doesn't appear to be in this for the greater good....he appears to be in this for the money.

According to his organization's Form 990 (follow the link in the article to the AAS web page and then click on "About AAS - Financial Information" which will get you their 2007 Form 990. Do a Form 990 search on their EIN if you want more recent) he was paid $195,366 in last year for promoting this agenda 40 hours a week.

That's over 14 percent of the organization's ENTIRE budget. Anytime I see a nonprofit organization with executive compensation that out of whack it makes me very, very suspicious. (their total executive compensation is about 25% of their budget and is over three times the payroll for the rest of their "employees")

I walked across the bridge overlooking the Glen Canyon Dam and was disappointed that the pedestrian way was completely enclosed by chain-link. Then later I visited Hoover Dam and was surprised to see that the low wall had no barrier. Two completely different approaches on Bureau of Reclamation structures.

My preference is to have a safe observation area without obstructions. If the structure proves to be an attractive nuisance that has a large number of suicides and accidental deaths, then take measures.

I've been in high exposed places many, many times. I think almost everytime I had the thought, "What would happen if I fell or jumped?" It must be part of the human defense/survival mechanism to consider the awful consequences of carelessness or willful self-destruction.

One thing I know from these experiences is that I'd have to be in serious, serious emotional pain in order to jump to my death. I think we need to consider that the suicidal person is in so much pain that oblivion looks good. As a previous poster said, "The bridge won't cause people to jump." The emotional pain is the cause, and if that pain reaches the tipping point, a person will find a way out.

Can't protect people from themselves. Suicide has been around longer than any structure, bridge, tool or weapon. "If you build it they will jump" I don't mean to be insensitive or cynical but Pleeease!

Last week the papers reported on three people who were able to kill themselves without involving the bridge in any way. One jumped off the 19th floor of The Palms. One jumped in front of a car on the Freeway. And one hung himself from a tree near GVHS. Are we gonna do something to prevent any of these? Well, I sure The Palms will do what it can to avoid future bad press. But putting up barricades around every tree and along every inch of highway isn't going to happen.

Thanks Charles for the research. Every 'non-profit' should have to include this kind of info (or link to it) on every solicitation they make. Until then, each of us should find this info on any 'non-profit' that we contribute to.

I live in the SF area and I think it is ridiculous to waste such a large amount of money on a suicide barrier when the state is bankrupt, the schools are in disrepair, the water system is precarious at best, and so on.

People who want to off themselves will do it. Let's stop trying to protect people from themselves. We have people throwing themselves in front of caltrain about once a month on average, and that is way more disruptive than someone jumping off a bridge.

there is an invention designed by a skyway bridge jumper survivor that could save the lives of bridge jumper wannabes, but those in charge of the skyway choose to ignore it. this device would work on this awesome new bridge as well. read more about this invention here: jumperpool.com/prevent.htm